There are several reasons why someone might choose to use Fidus Writer instead of Microsoft Word. Some of the key advantages of Fidus Writer over Microsoft Word include:

• Fidus Writer is free and open-source, while Microsoft Word is a commercial product that requires a paid subscription or one-time purchase.
• Fidus Writer is built using web technologies, making it accessible from any device with a web browser, while Microsoft Word is a desktop application that is only available for Windows and macOS.
• Fidus Writer offers real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit a document simultaneously, while Microsoft Word does not have this capability.
• Fidus Writer allows users to easily insert and edit mathematical equations, which is useful for scientific and technical documents, while Microsoft Word does not have this capability.
• Fidus Writer is customizable and extensible, allowing users to add or modify the functionality of the software by writing and contributing their own code, while Microsoft Word is a closed-source, proprietary product.
• Another advantage of Fidus Writer over Microsoft Word is that it is a semantic markup editor, which means that it uses semantic markup to structure and organize the content of a document. This makes it easier to export the document to a variety of different formats without having to do any manual cleanup or formatting.

In summary, while both Fidus Writer and Microsoft Word are word processing tools, they have some significant differences in terms of their features, accessibility, and customization options. Depending on an individual’s needs and preferences, they may find that Fidus Writer is a better fit for them than Microsoft Word.